Legal
“The People Have A Right…”
PennFuture’s Legal Team is Working to Protect Your Rights.
PennFuture's law staff provides more than $2 million in low-cost legal services to citizens and conservation organizations throughout Pennsylvania so they have a voice in decisions that impact their health and the environment. The law staff offers a wide range of services, including counseling, advocacy before state agencies, and representation in litigation to protect our rights.
In many situations, PennFuture's law staff serves as a watchdog over regulatory agencies, filing comments and action letters to guarantee that Pennsylvania's environment and public health are protected to the fullest extent of the law. We also file court actions to force polluters to comply with the law. PennFuture is building our legal legacy, fighting for our health and environment and pursuing legal action through our case work:
Request Legal Assistance If you have an environmental legal problem you would like us to consider, request legal assistance.
Take Action
PennFuture is headed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
We support local communities that oppose shale gas development in residential neighborhoods and near schools. We also support communities that choose to enact a moratorium on gas drilling in the absence of strong state and federal rules to protect environmental interests.
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Environmental Justice
PennFuture provides legal support to citizens and groups who seek to advance local regulation of shale gas development to protect the environment and public health and safety, with a particular focus on schools, parks, residential areas and vulnerable populations.
We help communities hold local government responsible for properly administering Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment. -
Permit and Statutory Challenges
PennFuture’s legal services include helping individuals and entire communities seeking assistance and expertise. We help by fighting the issuance of permits such as those that would allow the development of industrial facilities and other polluting activities that put people and resources in harms way. PennFuture is also prepared to bring statutory challenges when there are attempts to oppose environmental progress.
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Constitutional Issues
PennFuture is leading the development of a legal strategy to build case law around the Environmental Rights Amendment (Article 1 Section 27). We are deploying our legal strengths in venues that reach from local zoning boards mulling land use decisions around energy development, to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court wrestling with profound legal questions of what protections the environmental amendment can offer people and communities, and what public trust obligations it imposes on state and local government to conserve public resources.
Legal Work is Expensive.
We need your help to protect the rights of all Pennsylvanians.
Please Support PennFuture’s Legal Work.
Take Action: Become a Supporter
PennFuture depends on your support to enable us to fight on each of these fronts. Your tax-deductible donation provides real benefits.